Professor Muriel Bamblett AM is a Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Boon Wurrung Elder who has been Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) since 1999. Under her leadership, VACCA has grown to employ more than 1,000 staff, becoming one of the largest employers of Aboriginal people in Victoria and a leading voice in Aboriginal child and family services.

Muriel is also Chairperson of SNAICC, the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child and family services, and contributes to more than 30 state and national advisory groups on child welfare, justice, family violence and Treaty. Her decades‑long advocacy has been recognised with numerous honours, including the Order of Australia, NAIDOC Person of the Year and the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.

A respected advocate and intellectual force for change, Muriel brings deep experience in leading through uncertainty and complex reform. She will share candid reflections on what it takes to make tough decisions in moments of crisis, balance competing demands with cultural integrity, and stay grounded in values when the stakes are high.